Poof!
by Power9987
Summary: The 28th Tenkaichi Budokai is coming up, and after many years of not competing, Goku decides to enter. His motives for entering are however unclear until he meets a boy there with an unnatural amount of strength. One ten minute battle later and poof! He's gone. Alternate ending to DBZ told from Goten's POV. Three-shot.
1. A Tournament

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm back!**

**This is something that I've had in my head ever since I discovered fanfiction. I always hated the ending of DBZ and I always wanted to write it differently. Well this is basically the impression I got from the last few episodes of the manga/anime. **

**This story is a three shot, and unlike my other stories, this one isn't an A/U. I tried to stick to the cannon for the first two chapters as much as possible only changing a few minor details and adding my own personal biases into them. Again, this is supposed to convey the impression I got from the end of the series, or at least how I thought it should have gone with how Akira Toriyama ended it. **

**Also, unlike my previous stories, this one is written in first person. I've always wanted to try writing this style, and I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to do so. This story is written from Goten's POV, as I feel like we didn't really get a chance to delve into him as a character in the end of the series. It also makes sense for what I want to write for this story. **

**I will post this three-shot over three weeks (one chapter a week). I still haven't completely finished the third one yet, but I should have more than enough time to finish it by the time it need to be posted two Mondays from now. **

**I think that's everything. Enjoy my newest short story!**

"dialogue"

_thoughts/mindscape_

_"telepathic communication"_

~change in setting~

*action*

**flashback**

* * *

Chapter 1: A Tournament

~Mount Paoz, 439 Mountain District, Age 785~

"oomph!"

I wince in pain as I take a nasty shot to the gut from my father. I quickly send him a glare before charging back at him, fists raised. I try my best to hit him, swinging as fast and as hard as I can, but much to my annoyance, he merely laughs and dodges all of my strikes expertly, not giving any ground at all. I growl as I see the grin on his face. I know he isn't trying that hard, but he doesn't have to mock me! At least when I sparred with Gohan when I was younger he at least let me think he was trying, even though I could tell that he wasn't.

This is the scene that usually occurs though when I decide that I'm bored enough to train with my father. I know I haven't really been training that much all of these years since Majin Buu, and that he trains at least ten hours a day, but that does nothing for my wounded pride. Desperately trying to wipe off that stupid grin of his, I fake a punch to the left and try again with a right hook, throwing as much of my strength as I can into that punch.

Of course Dad sees it coming and blocks it with his forearm, that sickeningly happy grin still present on his face as he gives me another painful shot to the gut, this time in the form of a mule kick. *wince* Man you'd think I'd learn from my prior mistakes. He hit me in the exact same spot as before, and I can't help but fall to my knees grunting in pain. As I try and catch my breath, my father looks on with a slight frown, and I internally sigh. Great. Now he's going to give me a lecture of how I should be training harder, even though we haven't had a threat in the last ten years. Probably the usual talk about 'keeping in shape in times of peace' or something along those lines. Of course though it will be in the nicest way possible too so I don't get too mad.

I further groan internally when I feel Vegeta's and Bulma's kis getting closer to our house. Fantastic, now I get to hear it from Vegeta too, and he'll probably mock me further for slacking off. Although I do wonder why they are heading out here. I go over to Capsule Corps. plenty to hang out with Trunks, and Trunks comes out here when his schedule allows it, but Bulma and Vegeta haven't been here in ages! My father stops talking (like I was really listening anyways) and looks in the sky towards the west, obviously sensing what I did. I can see that smile that my family is known for start to form in his lips. That grin of his never leaves his face as I get up from the ground and the jet copter the two are flying in makes its way into our view and then lands on the lawn. I smile a little, amused. How Bulma gets Vegeta to fly with her in that contraption I'll never know.

"Hey Bulma! Vegeta!" Dad greets the duo, waving to them happily. Bulma however looks furious for reasons I don't understand, and glares at my father. I internally wince. This is gonna be ugly.

"'Hey Bulma?!' That's all you have to say Goku?!" she shouts back, clearly outraged. For once I'm just as clueless as my dad as to what is going on, but knowing Bulma, I won't have to wait long to find out what's got her upset this time. "I haven't seen you for five years Goku! Five years, and all you have to say is 'Hey Bulma?!'"

I look to my father, shocked at Bulma's accusation. Has he really not been over to see Bulma for the past five years? Sure, he goes out training with Vegeta practically every day, and sometimes they go out for weekend long trips, but I figured that he had been visiting both of them since he always leaves home to train with Vegeta. I always assumed that he goes to Capsule Corps., but apparently I was wrong. Now I understand Bulma's frustration completely. My dad my not be home a lot, but at least I get to see him every day unless he's out on one of his weekend trips, and even then, those only last three days. With my dad's past track record of getting into trouble, I wouldn't be surprised if she had thought that he had died again since I know that Vegeta never likes to talk about his training.

Dad scratches the back of his head nervously and tries his best to look innocent. I can see Vegeta rolling his eyes and I smile. I'm not the only one who can see through my father's innocent campaign. "Has it really been five years Bulma? Gosh I'm sorry, but I've been super busy."

This time I roll my eyes. Yeah, busy alright. Busy training. I can tell that Bulma is thinking the same thing, as her face doesn't seem to calm at all at my dad's explanation. "Really Goku?" she retorts. "You're so busy training that you can't even bother to call every once in a while? Every time I call Chichi you're always out training!"

Vegeta scoffs. "For crying out loud woman, he obviously is trying to keep up his strength for the next threat, which will no doubt inevitably happen." I blink, genuinely surprised. Vegeta just defended my father, something I thought he never would do in his life. But not only that, he defended him for not visiting his wife for the past five years. Before I'm able to process this further though he looks my way and scowls, which confuses me. "Unlike this pathetic excuse of a warrior who'd much rather go to concerts and parties and influence my son to do the same. I'd hate to see what would happen to this planet if something were to happen to Kakarot or me."

I roll my eyes again, used to Vegeta's banter by now. Bulma however glares heatedly at her husband. I know she doesn't like the fact that he insulted me for 'being a normal teenager' as she had once said. I would have to agree with her on that. Dad however speaks up before either of us can. "Woah Vegeta, calm down!" he frantically states, trying to placate the saiyan prince, a feat not very easily accomplished I may add. "I agree that our sons could train more, but you and I both know how easy it is to slack off in times of peace." I sigh. That doesn't really help much, but that's about as much as a defense as I'll get from my father.

Before the argument is able to escalate further, I feel another ki heading our way at a pretty quick pace. I smirk, realizing that Trunks is on his way over. Yes! Now I won't be alone in the torture! As he lands, I walk over to him and give him a fist bump. "S'up Trunks?"

"What's up Goten," He replies to me and then notices my father and his parents there too. "Hey Goku, long time no see. And hey Mom and Dad. I didn't expect you guys to be here."

I can see Bulma scowl, clearly still upset by the reason she had to come here in the first place. Unlike us who can fly using our ki, or my dad who can use instant transmission to get anywhere in a blink of an eye, Bulma has to fly in a jet copter, and while her copters are clearly top of the line, it's still a three hour ride from West City to here. It must be quite a hassle to get here, one of the reasons why she almost never comes over. "Well son, I wouldn't have had to fly all the way over here if Goku would stop by more often than once every five years!"

Much like I reacted earlier, Trunks looks at Goku surprised. He probably is trying to think of any times Dad has come to Capsule Corps recently. "Has it really been that long?" he asks, astonished.

However, before anyone can answer his inquiry, Vegeta once again cuts off the conversation with a growl. "Enough of this petty argument! The only reason I even agreed to go with you woman was to ask Kakarot a question." He turns his attention to my father. "Now is it true that you plan on entering that pathetic excuse of a tournament tomorrow?"

Dad puts on his classic grin, and I can't help but groan. Oh yeah the tournament. I forgot that's why I was out here training with Dad in the first place. Back when I was younger, I loved martial arts. I even was able to beat Trunks in the Junior Division of the 26th Tenkaichi Budokai and get my revenge from three years prior when he beat me. And I still do enjoy martial arts to a certain extent. I love sparring with Trunks, or Gohan when he's available. Heck, I've even become a sensei to my young niece, as Gohan and Videl finally let her start training.

I only really like martial arts as a sport though. Both Gohan and Trunks are the same way. They enjoy the occasional spar and both the physical and mental challenge that comes with trying to defeat your opponent. My father and Vegeta are different though. I do martial arts as an athlete. They both do them as warriors. The way they spar is completely different. They train constantly, as if they were going to war, and their spars are absolutely brutal. After a spar with my brother or best friend, I'll most likely end up with a few bruises and cuts, but those are really the extent of my injuries. After a spar with Vegeta or my dad however, I'm pretty much guaranteed to be bleeding all over with a few broken ribs and internal injuries that require the healing power of a regeneration tank that I'm thankful Bulma and her father were able to create.

That's why I was surprised when Dad told me that he was entering the next Budokai. He's a warrior, and I don't know what kind of entertainment he would get from beating a bunch of normal humans at a tournament. I figured that's why he told me to enter too, so he could have someone that can give him at least a little bit of a challenge. Getting back to conversation going on around me, I look and see that Dad obviously told Vegeta that he was and I can see Vegeta looking at my father with a calculating expression, probably wondering the same thing I am. He still hasn't told me exactly why he's entering, or why I have to enter.

"Why are you entering this tournament Kakarot?" He asks, much like I predicted.

Dad grins, and I wonder if he's actually going to reveal his true reason for going to the tournament. I listen intently for my father's answer. "I'm entering because I know another warrior that is entering as well, and he's incredibly strong."

"Peh, I'd hardly call your youngest brat incredibly strong," Vegeta mocks, and while I detest how Vegeta said it, I silently agree with him that I wouldn't be able to beat my father. At least not in the shape I'm in at the moment. He must be talking about someone else, and that really makes me curious. I know he's not talking about Gohan or Vegeta, and those are the only two that really stand a chance against Dad, so who else could it be?

"Wait, you're entering too Goten?" Trunks asks me, and I nod sadly. To tell the truth I really didn't want to enter. Dad had practically forced me to enter, even though I had a date that night! It was with the perfect girl too! Her name is Valese and she is a very attractive brunette with these really dark brown eyes. I'd had a crush on her for the past few months, but she has always had a boyfriend every time I've wanted to ask her out. That was until last week when she finally was single. I pounced on the opportunity and she had agreed to go out with me. But then Dad told me that I was entering the tournament so I could refine my skills and I was forced to cancel on Valese.

Boy did she not take that well, and let's just say that I was single again before I even got the chance to have a girlfriend.

Trunks of course knew all about my date with Valese, and had the decency to not make fun of me in front of his parents and my dad. I silently thank him for that. Eventually though, the conversation goes back to my father as he (hopefully) elaborates what he means. "No Vegeta, while Goten is strong, I'm not talking about him. This person's not actually in our group yet, but he definitely is powerful, maybe even stronger than me!"

I can't help but gape at my dad's clarification. Did he really say that this mystery person could be stronger than him? What is he talking about? The only people on this planet that come close to him are all within our group of close friends. Who could Dad possibly be talking about? He obviously believes what he's saying as he sounded very excited when he said that, more excited than I have heard him... well ever. I look around to gauge everyone else's reactions and they are all equally surprised at Dad's declaration. And I can't help but focus on his wording. He said that this person wasn't in our group _yet_. Is he trying to recruit a new warrior or something?

Before anyone can ask him to elaborate any further however, we are once again interrupted by yet another person's ki, approaching at a modest pace, but this time I can't help but smile. I'd recognize that ki anywhere. I look in the direction of the ki and see a tiny spark of white that grows bigger and bigger until I can make out a figure, which eventually turns into the form of a little girl. The girl lands in front of me and grins a one thousand watt smile, one that I can't help but return.

"Uncle Goten, did you see how fast I flew around the world?" She excitedly chips, clearly proud of herself. I must say that I'm proud of her too.

"I sure did Pan," I answer enthusiastically, ruffling her short black hair affectionately. This gesture causes her to giggle, and grin wider if possible. "That must have been a new record for you!"

My niece nods vehemently, and I can't help but chuckle. She is so insanely adorable, especially when excited, and I have a very hard time resisting the urge to take the girl in my arms and not let go. "Why don't you go tell Grandpa Goku about it? I'm sure he'd like to know."

"Yeah!" she agrees and then runs right over to Dad. My niece and Dad are incredibly close, and if there's one thing about Dad that I love, it's how great he is with Pan. Every time he's not training or eating he's spending time with his granddaughter. He might not make much time for me or Mom, but when it comes to Pan, he treats her very lovingly. And Pan loves him right back. She can't seem to get enough of 'Grandpa Goku' whenever she comes over to visit, which is pretty much every day.

"Grandpa!" She cheers, flying into his arms… literally. He thankfully catches her and listens to what she has to tell him. "I just flew around the world in about two hours!"

Dad grins back at her. "Really Pan? That's amazing! You are getting faster every day!"

My cute niece nods back at Dad. "Do you think I'm ready for the tournament tomorrow Grandpa?"

I can tell that both Bulma and Vegeta are shocked at that announcement by Pan, as is Trunks. I know I was too when I found out that my four year old niece was entering the tournament. I was more surprised that Gohan let his 'precious little angel' enter a martial arts tournament than the fact that she's only four and entering a martial arts tournament to begin with, but I think Videl might have coerced him. How, I don't know… and probably don't want to know.

I almost laugh out loud when Trunks states his disbelief out loud. "No way! Are you really entering the tournament Pan?"

She jumps out of Dad's arms and runs over to my best friend, a look of disbelief on her face. "Of course I am! What, do you think I can't do it?"

This time I do laugh as Trunks stumbles over his words, trying to think of something to say. "O-of course you can do it Pan," he tries to placate her, not wanting to upset the adorable little girl. "I-I just thought you'd wait until the next one."

My niece shakes her head stubbornly. "Nu Uh! Grandpa said that I could enter this one, and said that I could get pretty far too!"

After seemingly been stunned silent, Bulma finally speaks her opinion. "But Goku, there's no Junior Division this year! You mean to tell me that Pan is going to fight the adults?"

Pan, much to my amusement nods vigorously, and Dad walks over to her and places a hand on her head. "I wouldn't worry too much about Pan you guys. She can handle herself."

I silently agree with my Dad. Pan may be only four, but she has saiyan blood, and she is already stronger than everybody on the planet outside of the Z-gang, including her 'grandpa Hercule.' And as her sensei, I know that despite her age, she is incredibly talented and has great instincts when it comes to both fighting form and ki control, both traits she inherited form both of her parents. She really should have no problem qualifying and then beating anyone besides one of us. I actually look forward to seeing the reactions of everyone when this cute little girl who is probably the least intimidating person on the planet makes the tournament, and I almost chuckle out loud at the thought of the reactions of both the crowd and her opponent when she beats them.

Maybe this tournament won't be that bad after all.

I'm brought out of my amusing thoughts by Vegeta, who is actually showing a rare smile on his face, and I can't help but grin. There are only two people in the universe that can evoke such a reaction on the prince of all saiyans: my niece and his young daughter Bra. Both girls have Vegeta wrapped around their pinkies and can get him to do basically anything they want, something that never fails to impress and amuse me. Who knew that the secret weapon against the arrogant prince was a little girl? "Now that's the spirit of a true warrior! If what you say is true Kakarot then I'm going to enter! I'll prove to you that I'm superior to both this mystery warrior and you!"

My face pales at Vegeta's statement. He's entering too? Well great, now I have to worry about facing both him _and_ my dad. My chances of at least making it to the finals just got a lot thinner, and now I have to worry about another unnecessarily brutal fight. Those fights are never that fun, even though I get the chance to go all out. The only chance I'll get to have any real fun is if I end up fighting Pan, and even then I don't really want to hurt her too badly. Perhaps I can get Gohan to join, but that's probably already a lost cause. He doesn't like attention and he likes staying undercover so he doesn't get recognized by any of his students at the university. That leaves my only option as Trunks, but he probably won't wanna join either. It doesn't hurt to ask though.

As I formulate my plan on getting Trunks to join, my Dad reacts to Vegeta's commitment to the tournament. He grins, and I suspect that he expected to get Vegeta to join the tournament by telling him about this mystery warrior. Perhaps there is no mystery warrior at all and this was just my dad's way of persuading Vegeta to join the tournament. But then I dismiss that thought, thinking back to how excited he sounded talking about this guy. Not even Dad can fake that much excitement. "That's great Vegeta!" he replies happily, probably very glad that he will get the chance to fight his rival in the ring. "Trunks, you should enter too!" he adds, much to my surprised delight. My dad just did my job for me!

Trunks looks as if he wants to protest, but before he can voice his opinion, he is cut off by Vegeta. "Great idea Kakarot! Trunks, you're joining too, or you allowance will be cut in half."

I grin widely at that while Trunks pales, speechless as to how he even got into this situation. Finally he finds his voice and immediately protests. "You can't do that!" he shouts incredulously, and much to my continued entertainment, he turns to his mother, and I can already tell what he's going to do next, making me chuckle to myself. "Mom, you can't let him do that!"

Bulma huffs in exasperation, probably at her eighteen year old son's childish behavior. "Oh hush Trunks, just enter the tournament. Goten's entering too so you can keep him company," she adds, giving me a wink. I knew there was a reason why I love Bulma. My best friend however groans and I throw my arm around him and grin.

"What's the matter Trunks?" I ask playfully. "Are you afraid that you'll lose to Pan?"

He glares at me and throws my arm off of him while everyone else laughs, even Vegeta! Wow, that's the first time that I've made him laugh in my life. Pan runs over to Trunks and grins up at him. "Yeah, I bet I could beat you Trunks," she adds, causing me to start laughing all over again. While I continue to laugh, Trunks smirks and kneels down to my niece's level.

"Just so you know Pan, if I fight you, I'm not going to go easy on you," he states, causing my adorable niece to pout cutely.

"I'll still beat you Trunks," she mumbles, looking at the ground, but she doesn't sound nearly as confident as before. At this, I try and reduce my laughter and also kneel down to my niece. I put an arm around her, pulling her into a one armed hug.

"You most certainly can Pan!" I encourage her, looking down at her giving her what I hope is a confident look. "I know you're definitely strong enough to put up a good fight. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if you were able to beat either of us." I look up at Trunks and give him a look that basically says 'don't you deny this or else' before my niece grabs my attention again by pulling on my shoulder length hair. She looks up to me with my brother's wide, onyx eyes.

"Do you really think I'm that strong Uncle Goten?" she asks me, eyes disbelieving, but hopeful that I agree. And can't help but smile softly and tighten my grip on her a little.

"Of course I do Panny! You're very strong and incredibly talented. I believe in you." I truly believe it too. She may have more natural talent than either my brother or I had when we were her age. It really would be no surprise if she were to catch either Trunks or me off guard during a match and knock one of us out of the ring.

I know I said the right thing as Pan grins up at me happily before throwing her arms around me in a hug. I quickly wrap my other arm around her and return the hug, not caring that everyone else is watching me. I feel relieved that she doesn't seem upset anymore. I truly adore my niece, probably more than anyone other than my older brother. I hate to see her even a little bit upset and do everything in my power to make her smile again when she is.

I'll admit that I see Pan more as a little sister rather than a niece. It sounds weird, I know, but I can't help it. My dad was dead for the first seven years of my life, so I didn't have my father too look up to. Thankfully though, I had an amazing big brother that took over my dad's role in my life and basically raised me as his own son. Even after Dad was brought back to life with Old Kai's sacrifice to fight Buu, Gohan was still the one that I looked up to as I would my father. While alive, Dad still wasn't around much, always off training like I mentioned earlier, but Gohan was always around for me even though he had school and had just started dating Videl.

Even now that he's married and moved out he still is there for me. I have my own room in his house and he lets me come and go as I wish, and let me say that I spend the majority of my time over there when I'm not at school, hanging out with Trunks and our other friends, or working my part time job at Mr. Satan's dojo. He said that he moved right next door to us because he loved the area, but Videl had told me once when he wasn't around that he had convinced her to move here for me, so I could come to him whenever I needed him or just wanted to visit him. I will always love my brother for everything he's done for me over the years, especially since he wasn't truly obligated to do any of it.

And Videl is just as awesome as my brother. Ever since I've known her she's always been like an older sister to me. She always was willing to help me out and play with me while Mom made Gohan study (something I still don't understand since Big Brother already knew everything they were teaching in high school before I was even born). And she never once complained when Gohan declined a date with her because he had to watch me, or when he brought me along with them to places, even when they first started dating. That is something I find incredible as I know most girls would get frustrated after a while of that, but not Videl. I think she understood the bond that Gohan and I had and respected that bond. Even these days, now that I'm practically an adult myself, she still respects that bond and is just as inviting as Gohan when it comes to their home.

So really, knowing all of this, it comes as no surprise that I see their daughter as more of a sister than what she actually is. I see my brother as a dad and Videl as practically a third mother (as I also see Bulma in a similar light). Pan brings me out of my thoughts by pulling away and giving me a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you Uncle Goten! You're the best!"

I return her gesture and give her a peck on the cheek as well. "You're welcome Panny. I love you sweetie."

She giggles and wraps her arms around my neck in another hug, resting her head on my shoulder as I hold her close. "I love you too Uncle Goten," she replies and I smile. I couldn't honestly care less that everyone if staring at me or that I will be the subject of much teasing after all of this is over. I will never be ashamed of my relationship with my niece. At the moment I am content, glad that I can do for Pan what her father has done for me my whole life. I tend to be rather protective when it comes to Pan, and I really don't want to ever see her get hurt. One thing's for sure though:

If she ever does get hurt, the perpetrator will feel my wrath, no matter who they are.


	2. Ten Minute Farewell

**A/N: Hey guys! I have been swamped at school the very first week I got back from rotations. This is actually the first chance I've had to post this chapter, let alone continue to make progress on chapter 3. Fear not though. I am very confident I will be able to post that one by Friday next week. **

**Until then, enjoy this next installment of Poof! **

"dialogue"

_thoughts/mindscape_

_"telepathic communication"_

~change in setting~

*action*

**flashback**

* * *

Chapter 2: Ten Minute Farewell

~Fighter's lounge, Main Arena, Tenkaichi Budokai Grounds, Papaya Island, Age 785~

I can't believe it!

A mere ten minutes ago, Dad had been in the ring fighting this kid with a mohawk named Uub, and actually having a good fight. Apparently the kid is the evil version of Buu reincarnated into a human and made good, explaining why my dad was so excited to fight him. But it was obvious that Uub had no real training, as Dad had to rile him up to get him to unleash his power. They were fighting for a few minutes until it looked as if Uub had fallen out of the ring, only for my dad to reach down and save him from a ring out.

A mere five minutes ago, dad was talking to this kid and telling him he had so much potential, and that he could be an incredible fighter with the right trainer.

A mere four minutes ago, Dad had made a decision to take this random kid that he literally just met in that match under his wing, and not only train him, but _live with him_, flying up to the balcony that everyone that wasn't competing was watching from and giving them a very brief explanation of what he's doing.

And it was a mere three minutes ago that Pan had tearfully run up to him and pleaded and begged him not to go. Dad had held her and put on a smile, telling her that he would visit whenever he could. My niece had conceded, believing him and believing that he will visit, but I could tell that he was just trying to placate her. I could only stare blankly at the man, my incredibly adorable niece's sobs drowning his quick goodbye to all of us competing.

And then a mere two minutes ago…

Poof!

He was gone.

Flying away to live with a kid he had just met.

I _seriously_ can't believe it!

To be honest with myself, I'm not really shocked at the way my father left. From what Gohan had told me and from my own personal experiences with the man, he doesn't seem to be the type of person that would stick around too long, especially in times of peace. He's always looking for the next challenge, the next adventure. I guess he found it in Uub. But what I seriously can't believe is that he could choose fighting over his family… over Pan.

As soon as he was gone I quickly made my way to Pan and tried to calm her down. She was incredibly upset by my father's spontaneous departure, and honestly I couldn't blame her. He had never not been around for her before when she wanted him to. Not like how he wasn't around for my brother or me.

However, my four year old niece doesn't understand this. To her, he's the doting grandfather that is really fun to be with and very caring and loving towards her. To her, he would never leave just like that, and to see him do just that must have crushed her. Normally I'm able to calm her down rather quickly, but she is still crying in my arms, even now two minutes after he left. As I continue to cuddle and sooth my niece–my incredibly cute, loving, and trusting niece who I see as a sister–I start to get angry. Angry at my father, that he would do something like this to her.

That he would hurt her.

I briefly look up at my brother in the balcony that his father-in-law had gotten our family, and I see that he's currently occupied consoling our mother. I can't imagine what she must be thinking. Her husband had left again, but this time he had seemed like he was here to stay for good beforehand. It must have felt like nothing short of betrayal to her that he left again, gone to live with a boy he had just met for Dende knows how long. I suddenly feel my rage spike again.

He hurt Mom too.

As if he sensed my gaze, Gohan looks straight at me. His eyes show an incredible amount of concern as he looks at me holding and comforting his daughter, but I could see an underlying rage there as well. He's pissed, and far more pissed than I've ever seen him before. But he's hiding it for now, trying to once again pick up the pieces after the devastation that our father's departure caused everyone. I suddenly empathize with my brother. I really can't imagine what he's thinking after this. After seeing his father abandon his daughter just like he had abandoned him when he was Pan's age.

I can honestly say that I'm rather indifferent towards Dad's departure on a personal level. To me, he never really was around much to begin with, Gohan really being more of a father to me than he was. Am I disappointed that I won't see him again? Sure. But his departure doesn't really affect me that much. To me, I still have my dad around. Don't get me wrong, I love Dad, but even though I may have been the doppelganger of him when I was younger, I never really developed a unbreakable connection with him. My most impressionable years had passed by the time he came back to life.

It's different for Gohan though. He has a deep connection with our father, and I know for a fact that he really was desperately hoping that Goku was going to stick around for good this time, thinking much like our mother. I believe he truly thought that our father was going to stay home permanently after the whole Buu debacle, going against his instinct that says that Dad wouldn't. After all, he had been home for the last ten years, even if it was only for meals and nights most of the time. I don't think Gohan would have let Pan get so attached to him either if he thought he was going to leave again. As I continue to look into Gohan's eyes, I can tell that he's incredibly hurt as well, but he's holding it all back, trying to be strong.

He hurt Gohan.

My big brother and father figure.

My idol.

That is the final straw for me. I never in a million years would I thought I'd see my brother hurt so much again. I remember when I was little and still shared a room with him that he would have nightmares about how our father died at the Cell games. He would have nightmares about how he could have prevented his death and he believed that our father blamed him for that, staying dead as a punishment. After these nightmares he would wake up in tears and I would pretend to be asleep so that he wouldn't worry about me.

Usually after these he would come over to me and sit on my bed, running a hand through my hair trying to calm himself down. And while I loved that gesture, I felt incredibly sad and horrible that the best person in the world, the one person that deserved eternal happiness for everything he'd been through, and the one person that I loved more than anyone felt so guilty and was so hurt. In these moments I wanted nothing more than to give him a big hug and comfort him like he always comforted me after a nightmare, but then he would realize that I was awake and saw him at his weakest, something I knew he wouldn't want me to know.

Looking at my brother now, I am reminded of those nights many years ago, and I feel the exact same way. I really want to go up there and help him but I also have to care for my niece. Right now my first priority is calming her down. It seems though that Gohan senses my distress as he quietly whispers to his wife. After a moment, she seems to nod in understanding to whatever he said and gently moves to take my mother from by brother's arms.

Gohan then looks at Pan and me, and quickly flies out of the window, not caring that the whole audience (who still is shocked at the seemingly random departure of two of the finalists) sees him flying down to us and can tell he knows how to use ki (1). He quickly makes his way over to us, and puts a hand on his daughters head. I smile gratefully at him. While I know that he wants nothing more than to take her from me and cuddle his daughter, he respects my want to do the same, knowing that I am the one person besides him or Videl that can actually calm her down when she's truly distraught, which is very seldom.

Well... and Dad, but he obviously can't do anything at the moment now can he.

Pan however stiffens at the contact and turns to look who it is, and through her tears sees her daddy. Gohan gives her a small smile that only I can tell is forced, and opens his arms for her. She obliges to his unsaid request and jumps from my arms to his, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck and sobbing into his chest. He quickly wraps his arms around his daughter and buries his face into her hair, breathing in her scent. He had once told me that the reason he loves hugging Pan or me so much is that he draws a lot of comfort from the two of us, that we evoke a sense of peace within him. I can tell now that he is drawing as much comfort out of that embrace as he is giving her.

"Shh. Panny it's okay," I can hear by brother trying his best to reassure his daughter.

"No it's not!" Pan sobs, face still buried in her father's chest. The sight of her crying is heartbreaking, and the fact that not even Gohan seems to be able to placate her makes it ten times worse. "Grandpa left! He left with some other kid!" She then draws her face up so she's looking Gohan in the eyes, her eyes still streaming with tears. "Why did he leave? Was it something I did? Was I not good enough for him?"

I felt as if I had been punched in the gut at Pan's words. She thinks she's at fault for Dad's departure?

She's definitely her father's daughter, even if she looks more like her mom.

Gohan immediately denies her self-accusation. "No! Of course you were good enough Panny! You didn't do anything wrong, sweetie. He didn't leave because of anything you did or because he didn't think you were good enough for him."

She wipes her nose on the sleeve of her undershirt and sniffles. "Then why did Grandpa leave us?"

My brother lets out an exasperated sigh. He obviously is trying to figure that out himself. "I'm not sure Panny." I know it hurts him to not be able to give his daughter a straight answer for once. I have a feeling he knows very well why our father left, but he just doesn't want to tell Pan that he left because the life he was living just wasn't exciting enough for him.

Finally, it seems like Pan has stopped crying, but she still is obviously sad. She looks into her father's eyes again, the onyx orbs still shiny with the remainder of her tears. "Will we ever see him again?"

There's the question of the century.

In all honesty, I don't think we will see him again… at least not anytime soon. And as I see Gohan struggle to come up with the answer to that question, my anger returns. I really hope that we don't see him again. He has hurt the ones I love most: Mom, Gohan, and Pan. I know that he probably didn't intend to hurt them, and that he never would hurt them physically outside of a spar, but I don't give a crap about that. In my mind, he's just as bad as any enemy we've faced. He's a threat to the emotional well-being of my family.

And if he ever shows his face around me again, he will pay dearly.

He will feel my wrath.

I don't know how long I was in my very angering thoughts, but as I get back to reality, I can see Gohan looking at me intently while holding his now sleeping daughter, as if trying to read my mind. He looks at me incredibly concerned before his takes flight back to where he came from, and giving his daughter to her mother. I absentmindedly look to the arena and see that the tournament has resumed, seeing Trunks desperately trying to keep his opponent away from him, who is a big guy in a sailor suit that I'm convinced is trying to seduce my best friend rather than fight him. I briefly allow an amused smile to grace my face, finding Trunks' situation very hilarious to watch.

My smile however fades as Gohan makes his way back down here, this time taking a more subtle approach than flying out in front of the crowd. I can see that he's concerned for me, something I don't quite understand. I should be the one concerned for him. He's the one who has the distraught daughter and he's the one who lost his dad. He quickly draws me into an embrace, and I eagerly return it. I may be seventeen now, but I will never shy away from a hug from Gohan. I can instantly feel the effects of the hug and I can feel myself already starting to feel better, my intense anger I was feeling before slipping away. How can one hug do that? It's always been this way for me with Gohan, and I have never been more grateful for this fact than in this moment.

As we pull away from each other, Gohan rests his hands on my shoulders and gives them a reassuring squeeze while looking deep into my eyes. "Are you okay Goten?" he asks me, thinking that something is bothering me. I look right back at him, shocked. He's probably hurting far worse than I am at this moment, yet he still is more worried about me than his own pain. Even after all of these years, it still amazes me how he can just bury his pain away in order to stay strong for me, even now that I'm practically an adult. He must have taken the delay in my response the wrong way because he looks even more concerned suddenly and wraps one of his arms around my shoulder. "I'm sorry for this Goten," he tells me, trying to apologizes for our father, concluding that I'm taking his spontaneous departure rather hard.

I'm quick to ease his burden though by wrapping one of my arms around him in return and looking straight into his eyes. "I'm okay Gohan," I tell him, not wanting him to have the extra burden of trying to care of me now for one extra second. I know my brother well. He would do anything in his power to try and make me feel better if I were to be upset in anyway, and I know he would not stop until he knew I was alright. But while this trait of his is endearing, it's also hard for me to watch my brother hurt so much, yet ignore it. I sigh, thinking of how I can convince him that I really am okay while trying to hold back the anger directed towards my father.

And then it hits me.

"Gohan, I'm really alright," I stress when he gives me a look that he doesn't really believe me. I try to make my point by looking to him and smiling. "To be honest I don't think I'm going to miss him much. He never was really around to begin with, not like you were."

I continue to look at my brother and I see a surprised expression cross his face. "What are you saying Goten?" he asks me. Gohan's a genius, so I believe he knows what I implied in my last remark, but he probably doesn't believe it. Even after all of these years, I've never really told him that I considered him to be my dad rather than our actual father, at least not since Goku came back. He probably thought that back in the day when I was really little I only believed him to be my dad because he was the only male role model I had for the first seven years of my life, and that made him my dad by default or something along those lines. My brother has always been good at putting himself down in his head, a trait that I will continue to try and get rid of from him.

I pull out of our one armed embrace and turn so that I'm facing him. I make sure I look directly into his disbelieving, yet hopeful eyes, making me all the more sure of myself. It's completely obvious that he sees me as one of his own, and that he's desperate for me to confirm that I feel the same way, so I waste no time in doing just that. "Gohan, our father was dead for the first seven years of my life, and then when he came back, he was always off training with Vegeta. You however have never been absent a single day in my life, and have looked after me like a father should. I guess I've never really told you how much that meant to me, but I think you should know that the reason Goku's decision to leave us doesn't really hurt me that much… is because he wasn't really my dad… You were, and still are really."

After I finish, I smile at Gohan. I look at his expression to gauge his reaction to my words and I can tell he's stunned by what I've told him. However, comprehension seems to dawn on him and a second later, he grins widely at me and pulls me into another hug. This time, I can feel that he's extremely happy, and that makes me feel a bit better. At least I was able to make him feel better for a few moments at least, and now he knows just how much he means to me.

"Thank you Goten!" he whispers hoarsely, and I can tell he is truly touched my confession. "You really don't know how much that means to me." He gives me a good indication of how much though if this hug is anything to go by. As we pull away, he looks me dead in the eye and that look he had before returns. "And I will continue to be there for you Goten. I promise that I will never do what Dad just did, because I have you and Pan to look out for. As long as I have you two, Videl, Mom, and the others, I will always be content with my life."

I listen to my brother and nod, truly believing his words. He is the one person I can always count on and I probably trust him more than anyone in my life. "I know that Gohan," I answer, wanting him to know that believe his words. "But thank you anyways." Eventually, my anger fades for the moment and I'm content to just watch Trunks as he finally punches the guy out of the ring when he leaned in for a kiss. I laugh at what was a very entertaining match… well entertaining in the form of comedy. I smile as I hear Gohan laughing beside me, and my burden is lifted a little more. At least he's alright for the moment too.

As soon as Trunks comes into the Fighter's Lounge, both my brother and I give him a mock round of applause and he scowls at us, turning his back to us in a gesture that screams Vegeta. This causes Gohan and me to laugh even more at Trunks' attitude. Was it just me or did I see a blush on his face before he turned his back to us? Eventually, Gohan gives me a pat on the shoulder and returns to the balcony where he came.

A few minutes later he comes back, holding Pan and trying to wake her up. This confuses me for a moment before I realize that she is still in the tournament and that I fight her in the next round (2). As soon as she wakes up, she starts tearing up again in remembrance of the events that just happened before Gohan is able to comfort her once more. As I watch her struggle to control herself again, I decide that I'll let her beat me in the next round. Of course I'll have to look like I'm giving it my all, but that shouldn't be that hard. She needs a pick-me-up after Goku's departure, and I will do anything to make her smile again, even lose to a four year old girl in front of an international audience.

At least the fact that she's Hercule's granddaughter will make it less embarrassing to the crowd.

It seems as if Gohan has succeeded in calming Pan down and I see her run over to Trunks to congratulate him on his victory. I smile at the scene as Trunks lets his softer side show and dotes on the little girl. I take this opportunity to go over to my brother and ask him something before he heads back to the stands.

Gohan senses my approach and stops his departure to look at me, this time purely curious. "What's up Goten?" he asks me as I approach.

"Gohan, I want you to train me again." I state, causing him to raise his eyebrows in confusion at me. I can tell he doesn't understand my request, so I elaborate for him. "I want you to train me so that when Dad comes back I can give him a fight that will be worth sticking around for."

This shocks my brother, and I'm not sure what shocks him more: what I actually said or how I said it with so much animosity. "What do you mean Goten?" He asks, clearly trying to figure out my sudden request. Personally, I think he knows exactly what I mean, but is just trying to come to terms with the fact that his dad left him again. He is obviously still processing the fact that Dad just up and left.

"Gohan," I answer, trying my best to hold my temper back, but the hurt that I see from my brother at just the mention of our father is making that incredibly hard. It just makes me that much more motivated to pursue my goals. "I want to be able to fight Dad when he comes back and prove to him that he doesn't have to go off and train someone else to defend the Earth, that we are more than capable of doing it ourselves." I use the 'excuse' that our father had told us about needing another defender of Earth to hide my true motivation from my brother. While it's true that I would like to be better prepared in case something should happen to Dad or Vegeta, that is not the reason I want Gohan to train me again. No.

I want to be able to defend my family against a threat.

And Goku is that threat.

After weighing his options, Gohan sighs and nods his head, agreeing. I can't help but grin back at him. I know that he doesn't want to do it, that he hates training as a warrior and that he doesn't want to train me that way, but I also know that he would do anything for me, even this. "Alright Goten, but I honestly don't know why you want me to train you. I already taught you everything I know."

I grin back at him. "I know you still have some tricks up your sleeve that you haven't taught me, plus you are very good at correcting form and making your opponent pay for their mistakes, which are all things that I could use."

He sighs again before placing a hand to his face, shaking his head. I can tell he's smiling though, which makes me grin wider. "You make some good points. Alright Goten, I'll train you, only as long as you give it your all and listen to what I say. I also want to have a friendly, non-lethal spar with you once a week, and this can't get in the way of your homework, helping Mom around the house, or babysitting Pan. Deal?"

He extends his hand towards me and I immediately accept, grabbing his hand and giving it a firm shake. "Deal."I answer, and I internally smirk.

Goku won't know what hit him when he shows his sorry butt around here again.

* * *

**1. In this story, Hercule admitted to the "light tricks" as being a real martial arts form, so the general public knows about ki. However, very few have been able to use it due to the intense training it requires, so the crowd is more surprised at the fact that someone was able to use a ki technique (flying).**

**2. The tournament is set up differently, where Pan fought Wild Tiger in the first match and Goten fought the guy Vegeta knocked out in the second. Goku and Uub's match was the third one of the finals. It's not relevant to the story, but in case you're wondering, Vegeta was matched up against Buu. **


End file.
